Though a lifetime trip to a Mars may not be a typical life plan, that hasn't stopped more than 78,000 people from applying to sign up for the chance to be one of the select to see the Red Planet up close.

A Dutch company called Mars One began accepting applications just over two weeks ago for volunteers who want to be trained as astronauts.

Departure for the Red Planet is scheduled for
2022, landing seven months later in 2023 - and they will never return.

Endemol, the production company behind Big Brother, has announced that it will document the progress of a group of hopefuls as they compete for a 2025 ticket to the red planet. This illustration shows what the settlement on Mars would look like

The Dutch-based project wants to launch a supply mission to land on Mars by October 2016. The landing systems will be tested eight times before they are used to transport humans - a move that Mars One said will make the trips 'much safer than moon missions'

'With 78,000 applications in two weeks, this is turning out to be the most desired job in history,' said Bas Lansdorp, co-founder of Mars
One.

'These numbers put us right on track for our goal of half a million applicants.'

They have been inundated with
applications from all over the globe, and now must start sifting through
the files in order to figure out who will be among in the group of
candidates who proceed to the reality show round of the competition,
where they will be whittled down to an even-smaller group of four
finalists.

The
money from the application fees will fund the mission, and given the
number that have already applied, they could have raised anywhere
between $390,000 and $5,850,000 already.

In the last stage when 24-40 candidates
have been fully trained and qualified, the final decision of choosing
the first settlers will be decided by an audience vote.

'This is an international mission and
it is very important for the project that anyone anywhere can ask
themselves: Do I want this? Am I ready for this? If the answer is yes
then we want to hear from you,' said Lansdorp.

The time
commitment to the project- successful candidates will have to undergo
eight years of training before blast-off in 2023- has clearly not been
an inhibiting factor so far.

Former NASA researcher Norbert Kraft,
Mars One’s medical director, said: ‘Gone are the days when bravery and
the number of hours flying a supersonic jet were the top criteria for
selection.

'Now, we are more concerned with how
well each astronaut works and lives with the others – and for a lifetime
of challenges ahead.’

Mars One aims to raise money to help
fund the project through a long-running, global, reality TV show, which
will select the first 24 candidates and follow their training.

Viewers would vote for who should be
on the first team of four to leave Earth in ten years time. By 2033 the
colony would reach 20 settlers.

Applicants for the mission are being shown on the Mars One website. Users will eventually be able to vote for who they want

Journey time to Mars, which is approximately 40million miles away depending on its position in orbit, would be around 200 days.

Settlers would encounter a barren,
cratered landscape, an unbreathable atmosphere made up of 95 per cent
carbon dioxide and temperatures ranging from 35C to minus 135C.

This online application will be the first of the four rounds that together make the Mars One selection procedure.